Image caption: Michael Warren says he looks forward to going to work Article information Author: Ian Hamilton and Daniel Bennett Role: BBC Scotland News
July 22, 2024
The disability employment gap in Scotland has remained high for many years.
But there are signs that more employers are making an effort to hire people with disabilities.
One business told BBC Scotland News that there was a “treasure chest of talent” that other businesses could benefit from if they thought differently about recruitment.
Michael Warren has a learning disability and has always found job interviews difficult.
He said: “I don’t remember what I said.”
“I can’t read properly and I can write a little but not much.”
But that doesn’t mean he’s not a good employee, he added.
His employer, ACS Clothing, recently revamped its hiring strategy, resulting in 15% of its workforce being made up of people with disabilities.
The company tries to adapt jobs to suit people, rather than forcing workers with learning disabilities into roles that they may find complicated.
“I look forward to going to work a lot more now,” Warren admitted.
“I’ve become more punctual, and I have more friends who understand me.”
Image caption: Michael Cusack says he wants to develop his own hiring process
Michael Cusack is head of sustainability at the company, which sorts and distributes clothing rentals across the UK.
Before Brexit, the company employed many people from Eastern Europe.
But in recent years, that has become more difficult, and as a result the company has become more proactively “tolerant and balanced” in its new hiring approach.
“Like many businesses, we are struggling,” Kassak added.
“We’re building a pool of talent that we can bring into the business to help grow the business.”
He said the company has ambitions to develop its recruitment processes to allow it to employ more people with disabilities.
“We’re open to expanding,” Cusack added.
“You’re tapping into a talent pool with great potential.”
Image caption Rachel Hill says people need help building their self-confidence
Edinburgh-based employment coach Rachel Hill urged more businesses to change their approach.
After experiencing symptoms of ADHD, she said her previous boss took the time to understand how to improve her work environment.
She said that without the support of senior leaders she would not have had the confidence to run her own business.
“It’s definitely about working with individuals and building their confidence and igniting their belief in themselves,” Hill explained.
Complex needs
According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 777,000 economically inactive adults in Scotland last year.
Around 250,000 people were classified as disabled or long-term ill.
However, about 50,000 of them were looking for work.
Moving people off welfare and into employment is a challenge governments have faced for many years.
The new UK government has said getting disabled people into quality jobs is part of its growth plans.
Although there is some evidence that Scotland’s disability employment gap has narrowed recently, it remains the highest in the UK.
However, some suggest this may be because people who are already in work are reporting mental health problems, ADHD, autism and other disabilities.
Christy McFadyen, from the Fraser of Allander Institute, said the biggest challenge was getting people with more complex needs into work.
“That’s when the government must start thinking seriously about how to get unemployed people with disabilities into work,” she added.
The UK government said it would “give local governments more powers to ensure disabled people benefit from linked work, health and skills support”.
The spokesman added that the government would also enshrine in law “the full right to equal pay for people with disabilities” in order to close the pay gap for people with disabilities.